Title: “Merry Incarnation”
Text: John 1:1-14
Idea: The Word Became Flesh And Now Flesh Becomes The Word.
Purpose/problem to solve; ...that people really get the concept of incarnation (1) of God (2) of us.
Introduction - Virtual Christmas fails to compare with in-the-flesh Christmas...
Christmas celebrates the incarnation of God... (the Word becoming human – flesh and blood)
...in the year of our Lord 2020, however - on the human level - or the family level This is a “non-incarnation” Christmas (!)
... if incarnation means to take on flesh and blood – to show up in person .... well, not this year!
Instead of an incarnation Christmas we might call it a “virtual Christmas”...
Christmas on the screen – on face time... on Zoom... on Viber... on Facebook Messenger... indeed it is Christmas on the screen!
Family cannot come home (easily)... travel is restricted. “it won’t be the same this Christmas...”
“this year will be different”
Maybe this year we can appreciate a little more of what God did to overcome the obstacles of travel to visit our planet...
To visit the nations... to visit our families... to visit our prisons... and hospitals... our street people... our refugee camps.
How did God do this?
How did he pull it off?
Where did he get the idea?
I mean it's unprecedented!!! Never been done before... never been done since... never will be done ever again!
Not that the original incarnation was a 33 year experiment... it wasn’t;
I mean the son of God being eternally pre-existent – he always was. He is not a “creature” – by that I mean ...he isn’t created.
But something happened in that stable in Bethlehem that continues even today – God took on human form – and he’s never discarded it!
Even now...Christ our Lord – risen from the dead, ascended to the right hand of the Father, retains his full humanity.
Yes, the incarnation was for real – and it's still real.
Because we are made in the image of God we also have a desire to be physically present.
***It's better to watch a hockey game in person - than on TV – notice I didn’t say it's more convenient – it's not!
You must drive...find parking...walk to the stadium... find your seat – it might not be a great seat... pay for over-priced snacks... then after the game deal with the tedious traffic all leaving the stadium at the same time... getting home late.
But people still show up... they want the full live game experience!
People want to say ... “I was there” ... “we were there”
“The atmosphere was amazing... unforgettable!”
We love – we need - the incarnational experience!
Watching on TV isn’t nearly the same
Nowadays, Church is in a similar situation (!) – it's more convenient to stay home and worship online – but it's not quite the full church experience – it's virtual church – not incarnational church!
Think about it... no make-up... don’t shave... no dressing up... get a coffee anytime... no annoying people to tolerate... you can even mute the sermon and no one will know (sort of ...except God himself – God will know!)... now who wouldn’t prefer that!!!
I think virtual church is a good thing... but it's more like an on-ramp... it's not the highway!
It's a good entry point – but it's not flesh and blood community!
*** Christmas is about God going “all in” to reach humanity -- God knew that we needed Him to “show-up” ... to enter the human experience fully!
Watching from the throne room of heaven wasn't going to reach us... he had already sent prophets aplenty...he had to “come down” ... get into the dust and the flies... into a family... into a country... into a culture... into a language... into a tradition... into working with his hands... into fishing...and carpentry...so he did – in fact he came right into an occupied military state... no electricity... no technology... no internet! ...No cars... no refrigeration...
Read John 1:1-4 and 14
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
... 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
1. God Before Christmas/Incarnation: V. 1-4
Creation/new creation language
With God/ was God
All things were made by him...
OT appearances of Son of God are many... *** (Jude verse 5 Lord/Jesus)
Gen 18 “the Lord appeared to Abraham”
Exodus 3:2 “the angel of the Lord appeared to him / v. 4 God called to him”
1 Sam 3:10 “The Lord came and stood there...”
*** Prepares us for v. 14
2. God Comes As A Baby/Human:
o The light shines – v. 4
o He came to his own – v. 11 (REJECTION)
o To all who received him... v. 12
o Become children of God! V. 13 (BORN OF GOD)
3. Heresy of Docetism – the incarnation is impossible! it's an illusion!
We also make this mistake - when Jesus did something miraculous in scripture we say... well, after all he is God.”
But Philippians 2:6-8 tells us he emptied himself of the exercise of his divine attributes {"Kenosis"}'
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!
Quote:
"The incarnation was a historical and unrepeatable event with permanent benefits... Reigning at God's right hand today is the man Christ Jesus, still human as well as divine, though now his humanity has been glorified. Having assumed our human nature, he has never discarded it, and he never will. …John Stott
4. “He Made His Dwelling Among Us” (v. 14)
Jesus spends 33 years on earth but Jesus has never discarded his humanity!
George Plimpton was a “participatory journalist” - this required fantastic courage – he played professional football (Detroit Lions) and became a professional hockey goalie for the Boston Bruins to experience the sport for real - then he could write about it with more insight. But more precisely he did this courageous act only in training camp and in scrimmages. I think it was still a brilliant thing to do - but realistically it was still very momentary & guarded.
the incarnation was so much more...
5. We have Seen his Glory...
here are some of the titles Jesus used to describe himself:
(1)“Son of man”
o John 6:62 “what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before?”
(2)Son of God –The Son and the Father are one in will * activity & in giving eternal life.
(3) Servant – self-identification with humanity. ( his baptism)
(4) Lord – Paul refers to Jesus mostly by the title “LORD” 269 times!
o 6114 x in OT
o 635 x in the NT
5. Now, God Calls His People To Incarnate The Gospel.
So when you think about being a disciple – a follower of Jesus – think incarnation!
Lesslie Newbigin was a career missionary who returned home to England after spending forty years in India.
But when he returned, he discovered that the culture he was re-entering was as alien to the gospel as anything he witnessed in India. ... To his modern listeners, the gospel sounded like foolishness—much as Paul experienced among the Greeks in Corinth (cf. 1 Cor. 1:23).
So we have to adopt a missionary approach... get comfortable being uncomfortable – reaching across cultural boundaries...
How do we incarnate the gospel – it starts with following Christ – and not imitating the world...listen to this journalist...
Quote: “I am not religious, so it is not my place to dictate to Christians what they should and should not believe. Still, if someone has a faith worth following, I feel that their beliefs should make me feel uncomfortable for not doing so. If they share 90 percent of my lifestyle and values, then there is nothing especially inspiring about them. Instead of making me want to become more like them, it looks very much as if they want to become more like me.” (Ben Sixsmith)
Big Idea - The word became flesh – and now flesh becomes the word.
We are called to incarnate the gospel!
So instead of saying "Merry Christmas" to one another lets says "Merry Incarnation"
Big idea: The Word became flesh - and now flesh (you and me) must become the Word!
Merry incarnation everyone!
